Contact tracing using 5g network functions

Abstract

A method for contact tracing a confirmed case of an infectious disease. A network function (NF) of a 5G network receives information of a confirmed case of a contagious disease with a consent of the user. The NF accesses mobile device location history and timestamp data of the user having the confirmed case from a unified data repository (UDR) of the 5G network. The NF generates a list of hot spots and timeframes, based on a contact tracing function analyzing the location history, and the NF sends the list of hot spots and timeframes to mobile devices of subscribers of the 5G network, wherein the mobile devices of the 5G subscribers include an application (app) that compares the list of hot spots to locally stored location history on respective mobile devices and provides alerts for a match of location and timeframe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for contact tracing a confirmed case of an infectious disease, the method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processors of a network function, information of a confirmed case of a first user having a contagious disease, based on a subscriber identification code received with the information;   accessing, by the one or more processors of the network function, a first location history and associated timestamps of a first mobile device of the first user having the confirmed case from a unified data repository (UDR) of a 5G network;   generating, by the one or more processors of the network function, a list of hot spots and timeframes associated with respective hot spots of the list of hot spots, based on a contact tracing function performing analysis of the first location history; and   sending, by the one or more processors of the network function, the list of hot spots and the associated timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots to mobile devices of subscribers of the 5G network.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the network function is a network data analytic function (NWDAF). 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots is performed by a contact tracing model integrated with the network function of the 5G network and includes consent given by users subscribing to the 5G network. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, by the one or more processors of the network function, a set of hot spots having a high probability of transmission of the contagious disease, taken from the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots, based on information associated with a type of contagious disease of the confirmed case, and conditions associated with locations of the first location history.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is implemented at a network protocol layer of the 5G network. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the analysis of the first location history and the associated timestamps of the first mobile device of the first user is done in virtualized distributed network functions of the 5G network. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 assigning, by the one or more processors, a weighted value to hot spot locations determined from the first location history and associated timestamps of the first mobile device of the first user; and   determining, by the one or more processors, a threshold for hot spots of high probability of transmission of the contagious disease from the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with respective hot spots, based on the weighted value assigned to hot spot locations of the location history of the mobile device of the first user.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processors of a second mobile device, a list including hot spot locations and timeframes associated with the hot spot locations, wherein the hot spot locations are identified as locations with a time range of exposure to a confirmed case of a contagious disease and the hot spot locations and the timeframes associated with the hot spot locations are received from a network function of the 5G network;   comparing, by the one or more processors of the second mobile device, the list of hot spot locations and timeframes to a second location history and timestamp associated with the location history stored on the second mobile device; and   responsive to determining a match between the list of hot spot locations and timeframes and the second location history and timestamps stored on the second mobile device, generating, by the one or more processors of the second mobile device, an alert of exposure to the confirmed case of the infectious disease;   displaying, by one or more processors of the second mobile device, the alert of the exposure to the confirmed case of the infectious disease to a user of the second mobile device; and   providing, by the one or more processors of the second mobile device, recommended actions for the user of the second mobile device that compares the received hot spot location and the timeframes of exposure to the second location history stored locally on the second mobile device, based on information associated with the contagious disease and a degree of exposure of the user to the contagious disease.   
     
     
         9 . A computer program product for contact tracing a confirmed case of an infectious disease, the method comprising:
 one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising:
 program instructions to receive information of a confirmed case of a first user having a contagious disease, based on a subscriber identification code received with the information; 
 program instructions to access location history and associated timestamps of a mobile device of the first user having the confirmed case from a unified data repository (UDR) of a 5G network; 
 program instructions to generate a list of hot spots and timeframes associated with respective hot spots of the list of hot spots, based on a contact tracing function performing analysis of the location history; and 
 program instructions to send the list of hot spots and the associated timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots to mobile devices of subscribers of the 5G network. 
   
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , wherein program instructions to generate the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots is performed by a contact tracing model integrated with the network function of the 5G network and includes consent given by users subscribing to the 5G network. 
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 program instructions to determine a set of hot spots having a high probability of transmission of the contagious disease, taken from the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots, based on information associated with a type of contagious disease of the confirmed case, and conditions associated with locations of the location history.   
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , wherein program instructions for the analysis of the location history and the associated timestamps of the mobile device of the first user are done in virtualized distributed network functions of the 5G network. 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 program instructions to assign a weighted value to hot spot locations determined from the location history and associated timestamps of the mobile device of the confirmed case user; and   program instructions to determine a threshold for hot spots of high probability of transmission of the contagious disease from the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with respective hot spots, based on the weighted value assigned to hot spot locations of the location history of the mobile device of the confirmed case user.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 program instructions for a mobile device of a subscribing user of the 5G network to receive a list including hot spot locations and timeframes associated with the hot spot locations, wherein the hot spot locations are identified as locations with a time range of exposure to a confirmed case of a contagious disease and the hot spot locations and the timeframes associated with the hot spot locations are received from a network function of the 5G network;   program instructions for a mobile device of a subscribing user of the 5G network to compare the list of hot spot locations and timeframes to a second location history and timestamp associated with the location history stored on the second mobile device; and   responsive to determining a match between the list of hot spot locations and timeframes and the second location history and timestamps stored on the second mobile device, program instructions for a mobile device of a subscribing user of the 5G network to generate an alert of exposure to the confirmed case of the infectious disease;   program instructions for a mobile device of a subscribing user of the 5G network to display the alert of the exposure to the confirmed case of the infectious disease to a user of the second mobile device; and   program instructions for a mobile device of a subscribing user of the 5G network to provide recommended actions for the user of the second mobile device that compares the received hot spot location and the timeframes of exposure to the second location history stored locally on the second mobile device, based on information associated with the contagious disease and a degree of exposure of the user to the contagious disease.   
     
     
         15 . A computer system for contact tracing a confirmed case of an infectious disease, the computer system comprising:
 one or more computer processors;   one or more computer-readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising:   program instructions to receive information of a confirmed case of a first user having a contagious disease, based on a subscriber identification code received with the information;   program instructions to access location history and associated timestamps of a mobile device of the first user having the confirmed case from a unified data repository (UDR) of a 5G network;   program instructions to generate a list of hot spots and timeframes associated with respective hot spots of the list of hot spots, based on a contact tracing function performing analysis of the location history; and   program instructions to send the list of hot spots and the associated timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots to mobile devices of subscribers of the 5G.   
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein the network function is a network data analytic function (NWDAF). 
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein program instructions to generate the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots is performed by a contact tracing model integrated with the network function of the 5G network. 
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 program instructions to determine a set of hot spots having a high probability of transmission of the contagious disease, taken from the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with the respective hot spots of the list of hot spots, based on information associated with a type of contagious disease of the confirmed case, and conditions associated with locations of the location history.   
     
     
         19 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein program instructions for the analysis of the location history and the associated timestamps of the mobile device of the first user are performed by virtualized distributed network functions of the 5G network. 
     
     
         20 . The computer system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 program instructions to assign a weighted value to hot spot locations determined from the location history and associated timestamps of the mobile device of the confirmed case user; and   program instructions to determine a threshold for hot spots of high probability of transmission of the contagious disease from the list of hot spots and timeframes associated with respective hot spots, based on the weighted value assigned to hot spot locations of the location history of the mobile device of the confirmed case user.